Decades of conflicts and persecution have driven millions from their homes in all parts of the northeast African country of Sudan. Many thousands more have been enslaved as human spoils of war. In their own words, the narrators ofOut of Exilerecount their lives before their displacement, the reasons for their flight, and their hopes to someday return home.

Included are the stories of:

ABUK: a native of South Sudan now living in Boston, who survived ten years as a slave after being captured by an Arab militia.

MARCY and ROSE: best friends, who have spent the vast majority of their lives in a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. They remember almost nothing of their former homes in Sudan.

MATHOK: who struggled to find opportunities as a refugee in Cairo, but eventually fell into a world of gangs and violence.